§12892 Planning Grants

Summary

The federal Secretary can give planning grants to groups that want to set up homeownership programs. Grants usually cannot be more than $200,000, but the Secretary may approve a larger amount for good cause. Money can pay for work like finding eligible properties, training and technical help, feasibility studies, lead paint inspections, basic architectural or engineering work, homebuyer counseling, planning for job and economic support, security plans, and getting ready to apply for an implementation grant. To get a grant, applicants must apply in the form the Secretary requires and include a clear request describing the activities, schedule, staff, and amount; a description of the applicant and its qualifications; information about likely properties and the people who would live there (including family size and income); a certification from the public official who files the comprehensive housing affordability strategy under section 12705 that the plan matches the approved state or local housing strategy (or, during the first 12 months after November 28, 1990, matches another existing local plan the Secretary finds appropriate); and a promise to follow the Fair Housing Act, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Age Discrimination Act and to actively promote fair housing. The Secretary must set national selection rules that consider applicant qualifications, interest, the chance of a successful affordable program and suitable properties, geographic diversity, and other appropriate factors.